I arrived in Auckland at 2:30 AM... ... and was greeted with a welcoming hug at the airport by Leonie, the cousin of my good friends back home, Marjie and Nigel. What a great introduction to New Zealand, a country I've never been to before, but have always wanted to visit. The Kiwis definitely live up to their reputation for being warm and friendly. Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand, located on the North Island. I spent five relaxing days with Leonie and her boyfriend, Lindsay at their cottage in the rural town of Beachlands, just east of [View Full Entry]

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Tasmania Tasmania is an island-state of Australia, located south of the mainland across the Bass Strait. I spent one week on this beautiful island, and it wasn't nearly enough time to see all that it has to offer. I definitely want to come here again in the future. This is where I decided to rent a car and try my hand at driving on the left side of the road. It was a great place to start, because I got the roads practically to myself! Lots of lush green scenery: mountains, pastures, forests and rugged coastline. One of my favorite places [View Full Entry]

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The Great Ocean Road and Melbourne Australia The most spectacular coastal scenery I've ever laid eyes on is three hours south of Melbourne Australia. And Melbourne is a well-organized city with every kind of international restaurant you could imagine. It's located on the southeast coast of Australia in the State of Victoria... [View Full Entry]

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I'm off again on the second leg of my adventure around the world! I arrived in Sydney at 6:30 a.m. after a 14-hr flight from the U.S. It's October 3rd, and Springtime has just begun in Australia. My first stop - Manly Harbour, a 15-minute ferry ride from Sydney Harbour, and the home of my college friend, Shannon (Riley) Vetto. [View Full Entry]

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Sometimes the best scenery is in your own backyard... I'm scheduled to depart for Australia and New Zealand on the 1st of October. My pit stop back in Seattle has been good... I had my annual MRI (clear and normal!) and got to experience one of the most beautiful hikes in the world... The Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier, which is only a 2-hour drive from my house. My hiking companion was my best bud, Dave, who had been planning to hike the Wonderland Trail for many years. He is an experienced outdoorsman who knows all the backcountry survival skills that [View Full Entry]

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I'm back in Seattle for a few weeks before I leave for the other side of the world. On my way home, I stopped on the East Coast and the Midwest to visit my relatives. My cousins in Maryland showed me around the memorials in Washington DC (my first visit there). I also went to New York City, Baltimore and then flew to Denver, Colorado to visit my aunt and uncle. The last couple of photos are from my hometown area near Seattle, my favorite place to be in the Summer! [View Full Entry]

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July 5, 2008: After 500 miles and 35 days of walking, I've finally arrived in Santiago! My feet are very happy about this, and my blisters are healing nicely. I'm staying in the old city near the cathedral for a few days to relax and explore the city. I attended the daily pilgrim mass at the cathedral and watched in amazement as the largest incense burner in the world swung over our heads from a pully above, powered by half a dozen priests pulling on the other end of the rope. The swinging of the giant "botafumeiro" was originally used to [View Full Entry]

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Here are photos from the last couple of weeks on the "Camino"... I´m in the providence of Galicia. It was originally settled by Celtics, and still maintains its Celtic culture. Because it´s located between the mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, it gets much more rain than Southern Spain. Oftentimes, it´s misty and rainy. As I get closer to Santiago, the scenery is getting more lush and green... I´ve been walking with a few people from Ireland who say it reminds them very much of their homeland. [View Full Entry]

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Summer has finally arrived in Spain! These are photos of my walk on the Camino after the halfway point from Leon. The scenery has been beautiful, and the rain has finally subsided for awhile.... Almost done! Love, Laura [View Full Entry]

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I'm still walking... And my feet are doing okay - I try to wrap every toe and heel with tape to prevent more blisters. At the end of each day, I can hardly stand on them any more... but by the next morning, they´re ready to go again. It truly amazes me... thank you feet! I'm officially a "Pilgrim" of the Camino de Santiago. The life of a pilgrim isn´t bad... at least it's much better than it was 1,000 years ago. Most of us sleep in "alburgues," like hostals with dorm rooms (less than $10 per night). I get to [View Full Entry]

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